Real-world analog signals such as temperature, pressure, sound, or images are routinely converted to a digital representation that can be easily processed in modern digital systems. In many systems, this digital information must be converted back to an analog form to perform some real-world function. The circuits that perform this step are digital-to-analog converters (DACs), and their outputs may be used to drive a variety of devices. Loudspeakers, video displays, motors, mechanical servos, radio frequency (RF) transmitters, and temperature controls are just a few diverse examples. DACs are often incorporated into digital systems in which real-world signals are digitized by analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), processed, and then converted back to analog form by DACs. In these systems, the performance required of the DACs will be influenced by the capabilities and requirements of the other components in the system.
As with many other devices fabricated using complicated manufacturing processes, one factor affecting the performance of DACs includes variations, referred to in the following as a “mismatch,” in performance of individual elements of a DAC (referred to herein as a “DAC cell”) due to manufacturing variations, typically referred to as a “static mismatch” or/and various types of drifts, e.g. thermal drift, caused by operation of a device, typically referred to as a “dynamic mismatch”. Improvements could be made with respect to addressing this issue.